Pearl

#776 for girls in 2025, 350 births · Last seen for boys in 1983 at #6,238
Given to girls 97.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1900 · 2,512 births
Debut · girls
569 births
In top 100 · girls
47 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
159,088
since 1880

Pearl over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201921peak #24, 1900girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#776350—
2024#801351—
2023#800351—
2022#754382—
2021#740385—
2020#776351—
2019#729387—
2018#644460—
2017#651455—
2016#567549—
2015#624461—
2014#629454—
2013#672424—
2012#755368—
2011#806335—
2010#960267—
2009#983269—
2008#1,016259—
2007#991269—
2006#1,045245—
2005#1,203190—
2004#1,152196—
2003#1,084203—
2002#1,068199—
2001#1,035208—
2000#1,046200—
1999#1,191162—
1998#1,150164—
1997#1,273138—
1996#1,056175—
1995#1,113159—
1994#1,346124—
1993#1,138156—
1992#1,126157—
1991#1,215142—
1990#1,253131—
1989#1,168140—
1988#1,066148—
1987#1,081141—
1986#973162—
1985#945165—
1984#887169—
1983#880172#6,2385
1982#824190—
1981#846184—
1980#900168#5,5256
1979#995143—
1978#1,031132—
1977#1,062123#4,5827
1976#917143#4,9356
1975#891148—
1974#876148—
1973#882142#4,5056
1972#804168#4,4416
1971#842163#3,3709
1970#840161—
1969#876143#4,4045
1968#757172—
1967#738175#2,7609
1966#701195#2,32712
1965#596259#2,9828
1964#587284#2,66510
1963#590284#3,3187
1962#509364—
1961#524346#2,70610
1960#505372#3,3377
1959#518350#2,53011
1958#483388#2,26513
1957#447443#1,88718
1956#420468#2,01516
1955#405465#1,48327
1954#388492#1,95616
1953#375516#1,90017
1952#363516#2,25112
1951#347531#2,49510
1950#320588#1,74618
1949#323575#1,66720
1948#290690#1,70319
1947#293713#1,31631
1946#284677#1,50922
1945#265654#1,27027
1944#238756#1,23529
1943#223879#1,01843
1942#1911,092#1,03642
1941#211835#1,53220
1940#197907#1,25129
1939#197902#86750
1938#1891,005#95144
1937#1871,024#93245
1936#1721,120#98940
1935#1671,187#85853
1934#1541,338#1,05938
1933#1431,384#87550
1932#1381,618#98045
1931#1371,648#77565
1930#1212,069#78267
1929#1142,172#73473
1928#1102,367#70281
1927#1022,718#72680
1926#962,899#76571
1925#903,213#80168
1924#783,635#71685
1923#783,543#71183
1922#713,848#74878
1921#654,175#69886
1920#624,204#66791
1919#564,273#61298
1918#564,521#611101
1917#574,232#65084
1916#574,073#71570
1915#563,976#57697
1914#563,223#67357
1913#552,756#51370
1912#542,528#55253
1911#482,075#51433
1910#392,177#59823
1909#402,048#37141
1908#392,075#38936
1907#352,108#36637
1906#352,035#35534
1905#312,108#39329
1904#302,015#36830
1903#272,046#31236
1902#282,100#33135
1901#311,866#27738
1900#242,512#33741
1899#271,999#33129
1898#262,158#29839
1897#252,076#26344
1896#252,101#30637
1895#261,958#26645
1894#281,789#23155
1893#261,796#21962
1892#261,831#29239
1891#271,605#29731
1890#241,741#24348
1889#241,588#22950
1888#261,591#21269
1887#251,316#19164
1886#291,204#18273
1885#261,146#21257
1884#251,138#20962
1883#29886#20057
1882#33824#21558
1881#38641#21152
1880#47569#19662
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Pearl was already there! It came in at #47, and was given to 569 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1967–1981, when fewer than 190 girls a year got the name.

Where Pearl is popular in 1921

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedAKMaine: #81 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 294 girlsMEVermont: #45 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 157 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #51 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 180 girlsNHWashington: #73 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 277 girlsWAIdaho: #52 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 205 girlsIDMontana: #69 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 237 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #32 for girls · 58 births · 1 in 126 girlsNDMinnesota: #52 for girls · 122 births · 1 in 195 girlsMNIllinois: #69 for girls · 226 births · 1 in 270 girlsILWisconsin: #60 for girls · 124 births · 1 in 210 girlsWIMichigan: #79 for girls · 129 births · 1 in 305 girlsMINew York: #52 for girls · 456 births · 1 in 221 girlsNYMassachusetts: #90 for girls · 97 births · 1 in 381 girlsMARhode Island: #91 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 360 girlsRIOregon: #96 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 363 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedNVWyoming: #58 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 205 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #47 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 179 girlsSDIowa: #79 for girls · 73 births · 1 in 313 girlsIAIndiana: #101 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 453 girlsINOhio: #101 for girls · 128 births · 1 in 445 girlsOHPennsylvania: #56 for girls · 408 births · 1 in 246 girlsPANew Jersey: #69 for girls · 108 births · 1 in 294 girlsNJConnecticut: #105 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 461 girlsCTCalifornia: #102 for girls · 73 births · 1 in 418 girlsCAUtah: #70 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 270 girlsUTColorado: #109 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 425 girlsCONebraska: #81 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 333 girlsNEMissouri: #70 for girls · 113 births · 1 in 286 girlsMOKentucky: #64 for girls · 118 births · 1 in 268 girlsKYWest Virginia: #51 for girls · 94 births · 1 in 216 girlsWVVirginia: #45 for girls · 157 births · 1 in 189 girlsVAMaryland: #54 for girls · 66 births · 1 in 229 girlsMDDelaware: #61 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 211 girlsDEArizona: #102 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 352 girlsAZNew Mexico: #151 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 536 girlsNMKansas: #63 for girls · 65 births · 1 in 270 girlsKSArkansas: #68 for girls · 81 births · 1 in 259 girlsARTennessee: #60 for girls · 116 births · 1 in 245 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #73 for girls · 153 births · 1 in 255 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #61 for girls · 116 births · 1 in 209 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #65 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 256 girlsDCOklahoma: #56 for girls · 105 births · 1 in 251 girlsOKLouisiana: #47 for girls · 120 births · 1 in 195 girlsLAMississippi: #86 for girls · 66 births · 1 in 326 girlsMSAlabama: #100 for girls · 84 births · 1 in 366 girlsALGeorgia: #98 for girls · 88 births · 1 in 415 girlsGAHawaii: #89 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 301 girlsHITexas: #90 for girls · 144 births · 1 in 409 girlsTXFlorida: #73 for girls · 42 births · 1 in 270 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. North Dakota#32 · 1 in 126
  2. Vermont#45 · 1 in 157
  3. Virginia#45 · 1 in 189
  4. South Dakota#47 · 1 in 179
  5. Louisiana#47 · 1 in 195

Best ever in a state: #13 in Wyoming, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
North Dakota#32581 in 126
Vermont#45181 in 157
Virginia#451571 in 189
Louisiana#471201 in 195
South Dakota#47381 in 179
New Hampshire#51201 in 180
West Virginia#51941 in 216
Idaho#52221 in 205
Minnesota#521221 in 195
New York#524561 in 221
Maryland#54661 in 229
Oklahoma#561051 in 251
Pennsylvania#564081 in 246
Wyoming#5891 in 205
Tennessee#601161 in 245
Wisconsin#601241 in 210
Delaware#6191 in 211
South Carolina#611161 in 209
Kansas#63651 in 270
Kentucky#641181 in 268
District of Columbia#65131 in 256
Arkansas#68811 in 259
Illinois#692261 in 270
Montana#69211 in 237
New Jersey#691081 in 294
Missouri#701131 in 286
Utah#70191 in 270
Florida#73421 in 270
North Carolina#731531 in 255
Washington#73381 in 277
Iowa#79731 in 313
Michigan#791291 in 305
Maine#81231 in 294
Nebraska#81391 in 333
Mississippi#86661 in 326
Hawaii#89101 in 301
Massachusetts#90971 in 381
Texas#901441 in 409
Rhode Island#91161 in 360
Oregon#96171 in 363
Georgia#98881 in 415
Alabama#100841 in 366
Indiana#101611 in 453
Ohio#1011281 in 445
Arizona#102101 in 352
California#102731 in 418
Connecticut#105301 in 461
Colorado#109221 in 425
New Mexico#15181 in 536
Alaska———
Nevada———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Pearl
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 25 spots since 2024 (#801 → #776)
  • Same as 2020 (#776)
  • 152 spots since 2015 (#624 → #776)
  • Biggest jump: 154 spots in 2011 (#960 → #806)
  • Biggest drop: 145 spots in 1977 (#917 → #1,062)
Rise & fade · girls
20 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1900 at #24 (2,512 births)
  • Births halved by 1935, 35 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 47 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 47 yrs · run 1880–1926
  • Top 1,000: 123 yrs · run 1880–1976
Share of babies · girls
1 in 109
  • Highest: 1 in 109 girls born in 1890 were named Pearl (0.91%)
  • Latest: 1 in 4,592 girls born in 2025 (0.02%)
  • Its best rank, #24 in 1900, was only 1 in 119 (0.84%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1910s
  • 21.3% of all girls named Pearl (33,834) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s10,903#24 (1889)#30
1890s19,054#24 (1890)#26
1900s20,913#24 (1900)#32
1910s33,834#39 (1910)#53
1920s32,774#62 (1920)#87
1930s13,295#121 (1930)#161
1940s7,778#191 (1942)#252
1950s4,757#320 (1950)#407
1960s2,594#505 (1960)#638
1970s1,471#804 (1972)#914
1980s1,639#824 (1982)#957
1990s1,508#1,056 (1996)#1,186
2000s2,238#983 (2009)#1,062
2010s4,160#567 (2016)#704
2020s2,170#740 (2021)#775

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Pearl in 1921

girls
#65
4,175 births · 1 in 295 girls
boys
#698
86 births · 1 in 12,808 boys

Top girls' names in 1921

  1. #1Mary73,984
  2. #2Dorothy39,087
  3. #3Helen34,822
  4. #4Margaret28,468
  5. #5Ruth25,783
  6. #6Virginia19,032
  7. #7Mildred17,880
  8. #8Betty17,638
  9. #9Frances15,993
  10. #10Elizabeth15,800
  11. #65Pearl4,175

Top boys' names in 1921

  1. #1John58,216
  2. #2Robert52,779
  3. #3William51,862
  4. #4James49,750
  5. #5Charles29,242
  6. #6George27,476
  7. #7Joseph26,182
  8. #8Edward20,817
  9. #9Frank16,705
  10. #10Richard16,376
  11. #698Pearl86
More about 1921

girls

1,233,058 girls got a published name in 1921; 1 in 295 of them was named Pearl, which outranked 98.9% of the 5,871 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pearl
  1. #62Geraldine4,523
  2. #63Eva4,325
  3. #64Kathryn4,201
  4. #65Pearl4,175
  5. #66Viola4,160
  6. #67Ida4,146
  7. #68Vivian4,103
Biggest movers since 1920
Risers
  1. ↑ 4,238Elwanda#4,975 → #737
  2. ↑ 458Noreen#1,255 → #797
  3. ↑ 440Venice#1,375 → #935
  4. ↑ 343Isobel#1,312 → #969
  5. ↑ 306Aida#1,119 → #813
Fallers
  1. ↓ 612Lilia#931 → #1,543
  2. ↓ 345Denise#931 → #1,276
  3. ↓ 330Aleen#968 → #1,298
  4. ↓ 269Virgil#968 → #1,237
  5. ↓ 265Aldona#903 → #1,168

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,101,449 boys got a published name in 1921; 1 in 12,808 of them was named Pearl, which outranked 86.0% of the 4,985 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pearl
  1. #692Estel87
  2. #692Gaetano87
  3. #692Leeroy87
  4. #698Pearl86
  5. #698Edison86
  6. #698Gary86
  7. #698Jennings86
  8. #707Bennett85
  9. #707Bradford85
  10. #707Early85

Tied with 8 names at #698; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1920
Risers
  1. ↑ 828Kevin#1,543 → #715
  2. ↑ 499Enrico#1,157 → #658
  3. ↑ 435Richmond#1,225 → #790
  4. ↑ 427Reynaldo#1,252 → #825
  5. ↑ 425Art#1,416 → #991
Fallers
  1. ↓ 391Stacy#835 → #1,226
  2. ↓ 279Gorden#947 → #1,226
  3. ↓ 248Brady#653 → #901
  4. ↓ 246Guillermo#812 → #1,058
  5. ↓ 219Lindsay#903 → #1,122

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1921 →